Forgotten Forever?
by frozensunshine
Summary: Sorato. Complete. In a chance meeting, Sora runs into someone who claims to know her.
1. The Meeting

:: The Meeting ::

Sora walked lazily down the path. This was her one-day off from the flower shop and she was going to take her time getting home. It felt good to not have to rush. Such a nice day…

Her perfect little sphere was broken immediately, causing her to groan with disappointment. She had bumped into someone on the sidewalk. "Sorry" Sora muttered and continued to walk down the path, hoping that maybe she could get lost in her thoughts again.

But whomever she'd bumped into grabbed her by the arm. 'Great' Sora whined inwardly. 'Now I have to put up with some jerk that thinks I meant to walk into him!'

"Sora? Is that you?"

'Oh, so the jerk knows my name…' Sora thought bitterly and looked up into a limitless sea behind two pairs of flickering blue eyes. That was the first thing she noticed about the person.

"It is you!" the person exclaimed. He had golden hair that had ever strand in its own place, not a single hair disturbed. And he was wearing the uniform that guys at Sora's school had to wear.

'How odd. I've never seen him before…' Sora pondered, but faked a smiled despite herself. "Yes, it's me." She said, in a sort of annoyed tone and turned to walk on. He still had hold of her arm and pulled her back.

"Don't you remember me?" the guy's eyes sparkled into her own, making a blush creep to her cheeks. She had to admit that he was kind of cute; the way his hair fell in his face, and the way she almost felt like she were gravitating towards his wonderful stare.

Yet, she shrugged. "Should I?" He looked hurt and let go of her arm gently. Frowning, the guy backed away from her. Sora frowned too but it was because that flicker in his eye glittered away.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember from so long ago." The guy shook head disappointingly. He started to walk away.

"Wait!" Sora called even though she didn't know why. The blonde stopped walking and looked back at her with a hopeful look on his face.

"If you know me then I should know you." Sora concluded. His face fell again. "Tell me your name and then let's talk."

'How can she [not] remember me?' The guy thought frowning back at Sora. "I've got a better idea." He said. "Why don't you and I go for a cup of coffee or something – or you could have a root beer if you'd like."

Sora's eyes widened. Maybe she did know him. He obviously knew of her love for root beer. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't quite place it.

"Okay. Sure." Sora said then mentally kicked herself. 'What am I thinking? He could be some sort of obsessed stalker! But who'd want to stalk me?' Sora thought grimly. 'This is supposed to be my day off…'

He noticed the thwarted look on her face and sighed. "You don't have to. Is there something else planned?"

Sora sighed and shook her head. "Nah. It's just that… well this is my day off and it's been so long since I've been free. I kind of wanted to sit back and relax."

"Do you work at your mom's flower shop, or what?" he asked. Sora eyed him tensely. He [did] know an awful lot about her. It was nerve racking.

"Uh, yeah. I do." She replied not at all trying to hide the questioning tone in her voice. The guy caught this almost immediately and couldn't help but smile. Sora smiled back uneasily.

Finally he sighed. "Okay. I'll stop by sometime and see how you're doing, alright?"

"Uh… sure…" Sora said slowly. She shrugged and gave an odd look before stepping away. As she walked she thought she could feel his eyes dance across her as he watched her leave.

'That had certainly been weird. I wonder who he was…' Sora scoffed and shrugged. This was nothing to get hung up about. Some person she must have known a long time ago that had obviously thought she was cute, or they wouldn't have remembered her either. 'Old crushes… How amusing…"

:: The Ice Cream Shop ::

"I'd like a double chocolate malt with cherries and liquorish on top please."

Sora made a disgusted face. The person in front of her was not only ordering chocolate but with cherries and liquorish. That was a triple no. Who'd be disgusting enough to eat something like that?

She waited patiently as the girl got her repulsive ice cream. It seemed to take forever. The people who worked at the ice cream shop obviously didn't want to make such a horrible thing.

It was a while before the person got their cat vomit that they claimed as ice cream and Sora stepped up to the counter. Her eyes were set on the different flavors as she was trying to pick one when a semi-familiar voice caught her attention.

"Hello again."

Sora pulled her eyes away from the flavor menu to glance the person behind the cash register. It was the same guy she'd met over three weeks ago. She gave a quick look before going back to the flavors.

"Hey. You work here?" Sora asked not really caring and paying more attention to whether she should get vanilla with M&Ms or a strawberry with sprinkles.

"I guess so. I am here aren't I?" The guy said huffily. He apparently didn't care for Sora's lack of concern.

'There's that old crush thing again. Don't guys just ever let it go?' Sora laughed to herself. This one was cute and she wondered why she'd never noticed him before. She didn't even see him at her school which caused her to wonder if he went to another school that wore the same uniforms as hers. 'Oh well. It's not a big deal.'

"I think I'll have the banana cream with a few sprinkles and a couple of M&Ms." Sora said flatly. Her decision was what she considered a combination of her earlier choices even though strawberry and vanilla didn't fit anywhere in there.

She finally took her eyes away from the flavors to stare at the guy. He was staring back at her with the most frustrated look that Sora had ever seen. Sighing, he called the order to someone else.

"You ice cream cone will be ready in a minute." He said using the same flat note that she had given him. Sora nodded and drummed her fingers on the counter. Minutes flew past.

Sora took a fleeting look at her watch and groaned. Her head snapped up to the guy. "How long is this going to take? I have to be somewhere!"

The guy didn't appear to be answering her. Instead he walked to the side of the counter and pulled his apron-like thing off and placed it on a hook. Then he turned back to Sora.

"So do I. Sasumi here will finish your order." The guy pointed to another man standing behind the counter now.

"Where are you going?" Sora could help but ask curiously.

"I've got a gig tonight." The guy ran a hand threw his hair and looked in the mirror.

"Oh." Sora snorted. "So you're part of a band?"

The guy shot her a dagger look. "Something like that… yeah."

Sora shrugged and turned back to Sasumi who was handing her the ice cream cone she ordered. She paid for it and turned to find that the guy was still standing there staring at her.

"What happened to you Sora?" He whispered in a soft voice. "You used to be so compassionate."

The guy shook his head in regret and walked out of the small ice cream shop into the rain that was pouring down. Sora watched him go affected by his words. _You used to be so compassionate_. What was that supposed to mean anyway?

"Um, lady you need to move. There are other customers in line." Sasumi said pulling Sora out of her trance-like state.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry." Sora moved out of the way and headed for the door of the ice cream shop. She suddenly didn't have the urge to eat ice cream anymore and tossed her cone in the trash on her way out. It was only a few dollars anyway. Besides eating ice cream in the rain seemed unpleasant.

Sora walked along the sidewalks for a while. A [long] while. She had disappeared into the mall when the rain got really bad outside. She passed by the ballroom and stopped to listen. There was a band in there playing and tons of hollers from fans could also be heard.

She took a look at the display poster beside the ballroom doors. "The 'Teenage Wolves.'" Sora thought out loud. "What an odd name." She studied the poster and came across the blonde guy she knew.

"Oh." She breathed. "This is where his 'gig' is tonight." She studied the poster a little more and frowned. "He's a lot cuter in person." She looked around for names but there was only a few copyright stuff other than the 'Teenage Wolves' written on it.

Shrugging she began to walk off. He must be pretty popular since he was playing at the mall's ballroom area. Or at least his band was. Sora walked drowsily beside the display windows never actually going into a store. There weren't many people in the mall considering it wasn't a holiday and the rain was coming down hard outside.

After about thirty minutes of loitering she sat down on a bench and watched the people go by every now and then listening in on conversations as other people sat near her. It was interesting to hear all the little nit picky things in another person's life.

She sat there for a long while. The little bit of traffic that had been in the mall was getting even thinner as it got later. Sora leaned back and stared at the roof of the mall that was so high above her. It was glass and she could see the lightening flickering outside.

Laughter filled the air pulling Sora out of her peacefulness. She glimpsed sideways to see that a couple of guys were walking her way. She caught one of their eyes sitting there alone on the bench doing nothing.

He whispered something to his friends and Sora knew that she was being considered 'game'. Sora sighed inwardly. 'Well, might as well play along.' She thought and watched the guy walk towards her.

He had jet-black hair and was tall and skinny, wormy looking almost. He smiled at Sora and she smiled back pretending to care that he was coming. The dark-haired guy plopped down on the bench beside her.

"Hey." He said probably thinking he was using a seductive voice. Sora wanted to laugh but managed not to. She smiled innocently at him. This was a fun thing to do in her spare pastime.

"Hi." Sora said using as innocent a voice as she looked. The guy grinned larger. He apparently thought that this was going to get him somewhere. How Sora pitied him.

"My name is Aremik. What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting her by yourself?" Aremik asked. Sora wanted to laugh even more at the 'pretty girl' part. This was all too much fun to turn down.

"Well…" Sora whispered and continued her conversation with Aremik.

Meanwhile the other guys that Aremik were watching curiously. They were all watching the girl. She fluttered her eyes at Aremik and giggled.

"That is such an act. She's not falling for it." The guy with brown hair pointed out.

"Yeah, but Aremik is falling for [her] act. He actually thinks he's got her in the bag!" The guy beside him laughed. The three started laughing at their friend but stopped when he turned around and shot them dirty looks. They all noticed the smirk on the girl's face when he did.

"Yep, she's got him eating from the palm of her hand." The first guy said softly again.

"Who does?"

The three guys turned to see their other friend, and band member, walking towards them. He'd been last to leave the ballroom since all the girls flocked to him. He grinned as he walked up.

"Is Aremik trying to pick someone up tonight?" The blonde laughed and stepped forward to see what was going on. He immediately froze when he saw Sora.

"Yeah, but that chick has him wrapped around her finger. And he thinks [he's] in control too!" the brown haired guy joked. They started to laugh, but all caught the angry look on the blonde's face. "Yo, what's up dude?"

"She's a no go. That's Sora Takenouchi." The blonde replied harshly.

"Dude, you know this chick? Is she evil or something? What's the deal? Sora Takenouchi? I've never heard of her." One of the guys pepped.

The blonde frowned. "No, it's nothing like that. She's a friend of mine."

"WHOA!" the other three exclaimed. Aremik turned around at their sudden outburst and shot them daggers again. They were signaling for him to come back but he just waved them off.

The blonde took a deep breath and walked to the two on the bench. He leaned over the backside of the bench. As soon as Sora saw him she sighed with disappointment.

"Hey Sora." He said lightly. Aremik eyes widened. Matt knew this girl. That immediately meant she was out of the league. It was a sort of complicated 'friend-member-of-the-band' thing.

"I should go…" Aremik said sharply and leapt off the bench. He punched his friends in the shoulders when they laughed at his mistake. They began to watch the blonde with Sora, but he had a look on his face that meant for them to leave.

"Hi again." Sora said dryly. She sighed and leaned back against the bench. She watched the guy sit down beside her.

"You wouldn't want to get mixed up with Aremik so you should be thanking me." The blonde retorted.

"You mean that you don't want your friend Aremik getting mixed up with me." Sora stated outright. She put a hand up to keep him from replying. "Who are you anyway?"

"You [still] don't remember me?" the guy asked obviously shocked at her yet memory loss.

"No. Tell me your name and then we'll talk. Oh wait, haven't I said that before?" Sora griped her voice rising to a shout. She jumped off the bench and stalked through the mall. She heard the guy catching up behind her.

"Look Sora. I'm sorry." He said. Sora turned to gripe some more but the soft look in his eyes made her hesitate. He smiled warmly at her. "What do you say to that root beer now?"

"Okay. Fine. But-"

"I'll try not to freak you out." The blonde said abruptly his eyes twinkling with glints of sparks.

Sora nodded and followed him into the nearest little coffee shop. 'He does seems quite familiar. But I don't remember. I've blocked that part of my life away…'

They took a booth near the back of the shop and ordered their drinks. The guy who was now sitting across from her stirred his coffee slowly. Sora sipped at the straw in her root beer.

"So." He started. "I never see you at school."

"I don't see you either. Maybe we just have the same type of uniforms or something." Sora said through her sips.

"No. I saw your books. Plus we live near each other." The guy took a sip of his coffee and caught the uneasy look on Sora's face. "I mean that is if you still live where you used to."

Sora nodded not quite sure whether to trust him or not. This was getting freakier each time she ran into him. Still, there was something that allured her. Maybe it was because she wanted to know his name.

They finished in silence both placing their thoughts. Then Sora looked up at him. "Where to next Sapphie?"

"Sapphie?" The guy's eyes widened.

"Well since I don't know your name and your eyes are sapphire blue then I'll just call you Sapphie." Sora stated casually. "Cheesy I know but what else could I call you?"


	2. Placing Thoughts

They finished in silence both placing their thoughts

ROTFLMAO!!!!!! I'm sorry about the Sapphie thing… I needed SOMETHING. That's tacky beyond belief.

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Okay, I wrote some more, but it's not that great b/c I have NO idea what to write. This is starting to get silly. I decided to name Matt something other than Sapphie, hahahaha… sorry, that amuses me. Anyway, that's about all… no, no, wait… there was something else… oh yeah! This is like my… ??2nd?? fanfic when it comes to romance and I just sort of jotted stuff down and yet more people have reviewed this story!?!? I wasn't even serious when I wrote this. It was a spur of the moment thing and has absolutely no grammar! Please go read my story "People Die". It's in the HoRrOr (muawahahahaha) section. It contains some sorato…

Oh yeah, how could I forget? I do NOT own _Digimon_ b/c if I did you KNOW there would be so much more sorato…

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"Sapphie." The guy concluded almost forlornly. He wished that Sora would remember him. His new name seemed rather childish and it disturbed him to a slight point. "How about something else?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. It appeared he didn't like her designated name. 'Well, that's what he gets for not telling me his name… but if it bothers him that much then I'll try to think of another.'

"Something else?" She thought for a few moments. "Something else like… Blondie?"

"NO!" The guy said suddenly. Sora was taken aback his sudden outburst. He blushed and looked away. "My friends call me that sometimes. It drives me crazy."

"Oh, I see…" Sora blinked blankly and shrugged. "Got any other suggestions?" He asked hoping that she'd think of something. Sora shrugged again. "I don't know. I'll just call you whatever comes to my mind."

"That's a relief to know." The guy snorted sarcastically. Sora gave him a dirty look.

"Hey, you could always tell me your name." She griped. This time it was his turn to shrug.

"Don't you remember anything about me?" he asked.

Sora tried to think. He was in some of her memories in most of them that she didn't try to keep. That was sad too. He must have met her at the most inopportune time in her life. Too bad. He was starting to get cuter with each growing moment.

"I remember that you liked soy sauce on your eggs." She stated thinking back a little. "Or maybe it was salsa."

'She remembers that?!?!?! Of [all] the things that's the [only] thing to come to her mind! What has happened to Sora?' The guy contemplated the last time he'd seen Sora. It was when they left the digital world. Surely she remembered the digiworld.

"Okay, so… yeah. I should be getting home. It's late." Sora set some money on the table and stood up. She stretched and turned back to the guy who was also paying and sliding out of the booth. "You should go find your friends, Goldie Locks."

The guy chuckled partially at his name and partially because she thought they'd still be around. "They've left."

"Oh?" Sora again raised a questioning eyebrow.

"They don't hang around in one place for too long." He laughed. "I'll walk you home."

"Why?"

"Because it will make me feel better? I don't know. It's just a nice offer." The guy took Sora's hand and led her out of the coffee shop. She shook his hand away making him smile. "Still nervous?"

"Yes." Sora said wirily. He shook his head with hilarity and they walked through the mall. Most of the little stores were closing up and hardly anyone else was around.

They stopped in front of the doors and stared outside. The rain was coming down harder than before so that even if you had an umbrella you'd get soaked. Sora sighed and walked through the doors the guy uneasily following her.

"What? It's just water. Nothing big." Sora went through the last door and was immediately drenched to the bone. It was cold but not enough to bother her. She turned around to see that the guy was still in the mall staring out. She laughed and started walking down the sidewalk leaving him there. 'Guess he wont be walking me home.'

"HEY! Wait!"

'Okay never mind.' Sora looked over her shoulder as he ran up behind her. He slid and grabbed onto her to keep from falling. Sora laughed and pushed him away causing him to fall on his rear.

"Ow. Thanks a lot." He muttered. Sora laughed some more. "You're quite welcome." He grinned up at her and seized her wrist yanking her down beside him. "AH!" Sora cried out as she dropped beside him. He grinned impishly at her. "That's what you get."

"So why wont you tell me your name?" Sora said out of the blue. He stopped smiling and fidgeted a little.

"I want you to remember me. I don't want to have to remind you of who I am." He sighed and jumped to his feet grabbing Sora by the hand and pulling her up too. "Now." He started. "You shouldn't be in the rain. You'll get sick."

Sora scoffed. "Me? Sick? I haven't been sick since I was really little. Come on, what is a bit of rain going to hurt?"

:: The Next Morning ::

The phone rang. It rang some more. Rolling over Sora groaned and slammed her hand onto the phone. She groggily picked it up and using all her effort put it against her ear.

"Hello?" She muttered into the receiver.

"Hey Sora. Did I wake you?"

"Yes you did." Sora yawned and sat up in her bed. "What time is it?"

"Some where around 10."

"You woke me up at 10?! I still have an hour of sleep left!" Sora whined. She did a double take on the voice coming from the other end of the line. "Um… who is this?"

"Am I so easily forgotten once more?"

'Oh! It's him!' Sora jumped when she realized whom she was speaking with yet couldn't help but smile at the fact that he called [her]. "Oh hi. So it's you who wakes me up at this ungodly hour."

"Yes. Yes. Me: the one who has been forgotten forever." The guy sounded to Sora as if he was trying to hide the sting in his voice. She could almost see those perfect blue eyes dimming again.

"So… why'd you call?" Sora asked once she felt the uncomfortable silence was getting overbearing.

"I thought maybe if you weren't sick you'd like to do something." He replied the painfulness in his voice gone now. But when he added "Maybe you'll remember me" it was there again.

"Uh… sure. I don't think I have to work today and even if I do I can con my mother for a day off." Sora said in a cheerful voice. The blonde's voice was becoming nearly controlling over her reactions in a way that she didn't want him to be sad.

"Alright then. What do you want to do?"

Sora breathed a sigh of relief inwardly at his same cheerful note. "I haven't been to the park since I was really young. Feel up to a walk?"

"It's raining!" He squeaked.

"And your point is?" Sora laughed. She heard him whimper uneasily on the other end. "Are you made of sugar or something?"

"Are you saying I'm sweet?" he asked back. Sora was glad he couldn't see her blush. "No, I'm not made of sugar. It's just… well last time I danced in the rain I got really sick and my band missed a major hook up that night because I couldn't sing."

"You must be very important if they couldn't play without your singing." Sora said softly again glad he couldn't see her blush from her obvious compliment. She sighed. "Listen, the rain isn't coming down hard. It's only a drizzle. You wont get sick. Trust [me]."

She heard the guy sigh deeply contemplating the idea. "Alright. If that's what you want."

'He's so nice to think of me…' Sora thought almost dreamily to herself. "I guess I could meet you by the statue of that… thing in thirty minutes."

"I'll see you there!"

With that they said goodbye and hung up. Sora sat on her bed for a few moments. She did have the incredible feeling that she knew him from somewhere. His name danced at the tip of her tongue and yet it was still unknown to her.

After getting dressed quickly Sora grabbed a jacket and dashed out the door. She passed her mom who was walking back carrying groceries and yelled "Hey mom! I'm going to meet a friend in the park! I'll be back later!"

"Don't think so!" Her mom yelled after her. Sora skidded to a stop. She knew that it would be hard for her to get away. Sora sauntered back to her mother's side.

"Is this person you're meeting guy or girl?" Her mother questioned protectively.

"Guy."

"What's his name?"

Sora hesitated. "I don't know. He wont tell me…"

"And you expect me to go meet this [unknown] person who just happens to be a [guy]?" Mrs. Takenouchi had a very doubtful look on her face. Sora groaned and looked at her mom with pleading eyes. "Is he good looking and charming?"

"You have no idea!" Sora breathed. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth when she realized what she'd said causing her to blush also. Here mom laughed.

"Okay. Fine. But I want you back before five because I'm going to need help making those orders for that wedding." Her mother gave in. Sora jumped with excitement. "Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!"

She skipped down towards the park like a little child only slowing her pace when she saw the guy sitting on a bench talking with a girl. She felt a twinge of jealously but shook it away. 'Why should **I** be jealous?'

He apparently saw her too because he stood up quickly and rushed to greet her. "Hey Sora. Glad you could come."

"Uh… yes…" Sora leaned around him to look at the girl who'd also stood up. She glanced back towards the guy smiling. "Your girlfriend?"

He blushed. "No." Sora smiled wider at his obvious embarrassment. She again looked at the girl and recognized a certain feature. The hair was a bit wild. Sora was pretty sure she'd seen the girl before in school.

"Who's this?" The girl asked when she walked up.

"Jun this is Sora. Sora this is Jun." The blonde said quickly. He grabbed Sora's hand and began to drag her away. "It's been nice to talk to you Jun but Sora and I need to get going."

Sora stopped retracting her hand away from the guy. A roguish smile crossed her face. "Why don't you come with us Jun? We're going for a walk…"

A flush of horror crossed the blonde's face. He stared at Sora in shock. 'What does she think she is doing? This is [not] funny at all!' But there was nothing for him to worry about because Jun frowned.

"I can't. I have to go home in about two minutes." Jun came across Sora as devastated. The poor girl was obviously madly in love and was saddened she had to turn down such an offer.

"That's okay. Maybe some other time?" Sora continued to edge. Jun nodded and glimpsed at her watch.

"I hope some other time is soon!" She said before running off not without giving the guy a wink of course.

After she had left from sight and hearing the guy turned angrily on Sora. "That was not funny at all."

"I thought it was." Sora gilded. He gave her a dirty look when she rolled her eyes. "Come on. She's not that bad. I think the two of you would look great together. Wild hair thing going on and all…"

"Not funny." He repeated more stricken with irritation this time. Sora's smile dropped into a frown and she began to walk away. The guy watched her for a moment or two before catching up to her. The two walked in silence.

'Okay so they wouldn't look good together. They'd look awful as a couple. He doesn't need to be so uptight though.' Sora couldn't believe such a little thing got under his skin so easily.

'I can't understand why she did that. That was very rude. I thought Sora was supposed to be caring. She's so different…" The guy shook his head with disappointment.

"So." Sora said becoming overwhelmed by the silence. "Got any brothers, sisters, or anything of the such?"

"I have a brother."

"Do I know him? Or did I?"

"Yes."

Again the overwhelming silence. Sora sighed. Tired of the silent war going on between the two of them she took hold of the guy's hand and pulled him towards the swings nearby.

"Let's swing. I haven't since I was young." Sora hopped quickly into a swing. He sat down in the one beside her and smiled.

"Since you were young? You still are young!" He teased.

"At heart maybe." She replied with a naive smile. He leaped out of his swing and stopped her in mid air. Completely taken by surprise Sora froze. She stared up into his twinkling blue eyes of mischief.

"Would you like to dance?"

Sora's eyes widened with perplexity. "What?"

"Would you like to dance?" He appeared completely serious and pulled Sora out of the swing. "My mom used to dance with me in the rain. It was so long ago… So what do you say?"

"Um… sure…" Sora replied uneasily. She wasn't that great of a dance and with the rain she'd be even worse.

She got a little edgy when he brought her closer. She probably would have pushed him away but his eyes continued to draw her in. They seemed to be the only thing that she remembered about him.

Sora slid a little in the mud grabbing onto him to keep from falling. He smiled at her and held her tighter making Sora blush slightly. Reaching up he brushed wet strands of hair out of Sora's eyes. Without the support of his hand Sora fell into the mud sliding into his feet and causing him to stumble but not fall.

"AH!" She cried out. Lifting her hand up she made a disgusted face at the icky mud covering it. Hearing the laughter behind her she reeled around and glared at the guy. "This is your fault! Help me up!"

He chuckled. "No. Not when you're covered in mud. I don't want to get dirty."

"You're wet! What's the difference?!?!"

"Let's see: mud and rain… how are they different?" He mocked her with laughter in his voice.

Sora scoffed and seized a handful of mud tossing it his way. It landed right in the middle of his shirt. The blonde gasped with alarm. He stared at Sora with his mouth hanging open.

To justify herself Sora threw another wad of mud at him. This time he dodged but was still clipped. Sora got up and smeared the clump of mud on his shirt. "Now you're muddy [and] wet."

"I can't believe… why did you… my shirt… you're in trouble now!" A wave of naughtiness washed the shock away from his face and he reached down and got a handful of mud.

Sora laughed and began to run away but found that he hand captured her hand and wasn't letting her go. She felt herself being pulled back and then cold mud was smeared on her arm.

"Hey! I'm already muddy!" She protested.

"Too bad."

Once he had let go of her satisfied Sora dived down and scooped some mud up. She turned and threw making it land on his shoulder. He made a revolted face and knocked the clump away.

Sora laughed like a little elf and took off. It was hard for her to run because she was laughing so hard. She could hear him right behind her and soon felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and bring her in close to his body.

He felt her tense up and grinned. Her laughter died down and he could just about feel her heart beating faster. He was surprised that she didn't push him away and wondered if she was beginning to remember him. Of course he'd never gotten close to her like this before anyway.

He leaned forward and sang at a soft whisper in her ear "Here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a new emotion. I want to walk in the open wind; I want to dive into your ocean. Is it raining with you…"

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So what do you think? I'm stopping here right now because I'm paying more attention to what has happened in NY. This last part has been kind of offbeat. I'll only write more if anybody wants me too. 

**And God Bless America and its current terrorist attack.******


	3. Mind Games

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Okay, I know that I wrote a 3rd chapter already, but come on, it SUCKED!!! I was in a weird mood when I wrote it. Basically I had Sora get mad at ~gee-I-wonder-who~ and then nearly get attacked by angry fan girls!! Hahaha! It was stupid beyond belief. So I changed everything. This chapter is a bit jumpy. It changes days a lot. I'm warning you now. And I have no idea where I got the name Nasumi. I can't remember if I read it in another Fanfic or what. It just popped in my head.

And I don't own Digimon, alright? If I did…

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Sora drew away from his arms and turned around to look at him. The guy had a large smile across his face and winked at her. She felt her cheeks heat up and diverted her attention to something else quickly.

"So, you feel up to pizza?" He asked leaning over into her line of vision. "I suppose. I haven't had it in a while." She replied happily but looked at her wet muddy clothes. "Will they allow us in if we look like this?" He laughed. "Of course. I know about everyone who works there. They wouldn't mind."

"Where exactly is this pizza place? If it's too far away…" Sora said uneasily. Her mother had a problem with her straying far from home. It had to do with her past when she was younger.

"It's not far at all." The guy flashed her another smile. "Come on. You'll love it." He took her hand and they began to walk down the sidewalk. Sora uncertainly removed her hand from his enticing another grin to light up his face. He seemed to love making Sora nervous. 

The sprinkle of rain had died down to a few drips every now and then. She shivered as the wind blew against her front and hugged her jacket tighter around her. The guy noticed and chuckled.

"Cold?" He laughed.

"I'm always cold." She mumbled. "It could 100 degrees outside and I'd be freezing. My body temperature is mega whacked."

Sora walked with her head down looking at the sidewalk. She soon noticed that the guy beside her was stepping over every crack even if it meant taking a really large or really small step. Sora laughed.

"Still afraid of breaking your mother's back?" She asked. He laughed and shook his head. "Nah. It's just a habit I got into. Look – there's the place!"

Sora glanced up to see a pizza parlor across the street. She soon found that the blonde had grabbed her hand again and was pulling her towards the place. She surprisingly didn't push him away again and allowed the guy to lead her into the pizza parlor.

:: One Week Later ::

Sora hummed as she clipped the thorns off the pink rose in her hand. After setting it with all the other pink roses she picked up a red one and thus began clipping its thorns.

Assorting the flowers was on of her favorite things to do. She loved to see all the colors together in a perfect little set. After she finished with the roses she had to tie the ribbons onto the sets of carnations and other such flowers mixed together. Another one of her favorite things to do.

She only got to do these two things every now and then. Most of the time her mother had her trimming off the dead flowers and hauling all the new supplies into the storage room. Days like today were almost as relaxed as an off day.

Her mom tapped on the door panel as she walked into the room to let Sora know she was there. Sora looked up and saw the unusually big grin on hr mother's face. She smiled back uneasily.

"Your boyfriend is here." Her mother teased. She'd been calling the guy that to annoy Sora.

"My boyfriend?" Sora huffed. "I don't have one." Her mother laughed. "You know who I'm talking about."

"Maybe. What does he need?" Sora asked continuing the whole time with her clipping. Her mother shrugged and walked over to the work desk. She picked up a pair of clippers and started to work on the roses herself.

"How would I know? I just know he's here and doubtless wants to take you somewhere again." Her mother sighed. "I wish your father had been romantic."

"Romantic? How is blonde boy romantic?" Sora asked with a snicker. "I don't think getting me horribly muddy, breaking my favorite knick-knack, nearly killing my fish by knocking his bowl over, [or] destroying that pot of tulips qualifies as romantic mom."

Her mother chuckled. "No. But the fact that he's trying is." Sora had just named off everything that had happened in the past week. She'd spent most of it with him and he always seemed to do something wrong.

"And besides I know that you're a sucker for blondes." Her mother added. Sora looked shocked and started to protest but her mom cut her off. "You are! Don't [even] try to deny it! I know you!"

"Whatever!" Sora denied. Her mother snorted. "Yeah. Okay Sora. Anyway I don't think you should keep him waiting…"

"I'm going. I'm going. Sheesh. Most mothers try to keep their little girls from guys. Especially blondes!" Sora joked before taking her apron off all too quickly and setting it on a hook. She caught her mom smiling at her mischievously. "I just want to get out of the thing!"

"Right. Right. You know you're anxious to see him!"

Sora gave her mom a look and stepped slowly towards the door causing her mother to snicker. She smiled and headed into the flower shop where the guy had been waiting for a while.

"Hey. Sorry it took me so long. My mom was being silly." Sora grinned enthusiastically at him. He smiled back. "I figured. I could hear you two laughing."

"Sora! Be back before 2!" Her mother called from the back room. "Alright!" Sora yelled back. She turned to the guy. "Where to today?"

:: At School ::

Christmas Break was over and now the school halls were filled with teenagers once again. The buzz of chatter and an occasional burst of laughter filled the air. Everyone had something to tell or something to show. It was a cheery day.

Sora was especially feeling cheery in mood. She had just woken up that way. Her book bag was light on her shoulder as she skipped up the school stairs. Friendly faces surrounded her as she entered the school and she felt good to be back.

It wasn't that she didn't like the break but she enjoyed talking with her friends. Sora spotted them in a little cluster by their lockers. She smiled and strolled over to them. The group parted to let Sora in.

"Hey Sora! How'd your break go?" One of Sora's friends asked with a giggle. The other girls in the group snickered at the comment.

"Good I guess." Sora said uneasily. She felt as if she were in a spot light. "Why do you ask Kourtney?"

"Oh… no reason."

Another fit of giggles erupted in the group. Sora frowned. 'What is so funny?' She wondered partially angry that she was being laughed at. But since she was supposed to be the optimistic of the group Sora put a big smile on her face.

The girls eventually diverted their attention to a different topic and Sora was soon listening to Kourtney argue with Mychelle about whether the swim team should get new uniforms or not.

"Sora! Hey Sora! It's me! Jun!"

The group Sora was in stopped talking completely and all turned around. Jun waved at Sora and ran over to the girls. Sora felt her friends eyeing her and Jun with a repulsed look.

"How have you been Sora? I've wanted to talk you!" Jun said breathlessly. She was squirming with excitement.

"Um… okay…" Sora said uneasily. "What do you need?"

"Are you going to the concert this Friday?" Jun asked. Immediately Sora's friends were no longer repulsed by but rather interested in what Jun had to say. They crowded around her and Sora.

"Concert? I don't know of any concert." Sora replied. Her friends and Jun gasped with surprise. Other people who had been listening in also were in shock.

"But aren't you going out with the lead singer?" Some girl that Sora had seen maybe twice before asked.

"Lead singer? Oh! Him! No I'm not. We're just friends." Sora shrugged. What was the big deal?

"But… but…" Jun stammered. "I thought…"

"Hey! Don't encourage her! That means he's still single!" Another girl shouted at Jun. Jun instantly shut her mouth. Everyone turned to someone and started to whisper to the person beside them.

"He canceled all those practices!" "I heard he canceled a concert!" "They aren't even going out?!?!?!" "This is great! I thought my life was over when I heard he had a girlfriend!" "What's wrong with her? If I talked to him half as much as she did I'd be begging him to go out with me!"

The conversations around Sora hummed and she felt small. Pushing her way through the crowd she departed into the bathroom. She didn't know the guy was as popular as he was! Maybe her mom was right when she said Sora was oblivious to things going on around her!

Sora sighed. Everyone knew and loved the guy but her. Maybe she should go to the concert just to get his name. 'No. That would be too easy. I want to at least [try] to remember him.'

The bell rang but Sora stayed in the bathroom until she figured there was no one in the halls. Poking her head out to make sure the coast was clear she dashed towards her homeroom. She'd be tardy but at least she wouldn't have to put up with people questioning her.

:: That Afternoon ::

"Great job Sora! Have you practiced over the holiday?"

Sora smiled at her tennis instructor/coach. "Nope! I've been taking it easy!" Her coach laughed and started talking to her assistant. Sora sighed and got ready for another serve.

Her mind was surprisingly clear. For the most part of the day she had been thinking about [him] and continuously sensed she was being watched. Her friends and other people from her school had constantly bombarded her with question after question whenever they got the chance.

"Sora I need a water break! Let's take five!" Her partner called. Sora nodded her own throat being dry. The two of the jogged over the water jug. Sora noticed that her partner who happened to be a guy was eyeing her.

"Oh please Nasumi! Don't ask me any questions!" Sora groaned. Nasumi chuckled and shook his head. "I wasn't. I only wanted to point out that your boyfriend is watching you."

Sora whirled around confused and saw that the guy was sitting in the stands watching her. He was leaning back and had his arms propped up. When she made eye contact with him he smiled and semi-waved at her.

Sora rolled her eyes and turned back around to Nasumi. "He's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend. I met him over the Christmas break."

"Why isn't he your boyfriend? Haven't you at least tried to ask him out? I would." Nasumi huffed making Sora smile. Nasumi licked his lips. "He's hot. I think I've seen him before though."

"Yeah you probably have. He's in a band called the Teen Wolves or Teenage Wolves or something like that." Sora replied. She took another sip of water before grabbing her tennis racket and heading back onto the court. "But I recommend you don't try anything. He has come across as straight as far as I can tell."

"That's too bad." Nasumi replied with a wink and went to his side of the court. "Was it your serve or mine?"

- -

Sora packed her stuff into the duffle bag. Tennis practice had been hard today considering that the coach decided they needed to work off their Christmas dinners.

"Goodbye Sora!" Nasumi yelled as he dashed off the tennis court. He was late for his job that just happened to have father as the boss. Sora waved and continued to pack her junk.

She finally got everything to fit in the duffle bag and grabbed her backpack. She shivered as the winter air blew past and dug through her backpack for her sweater. She frantically searched and when no sweater was found she groaned and hugged her arms around her body.

"Cold?"

Sora turned to the guy. "Y-yeeesss." She said through chattering teeth. He smiled at her and took off his coat. "Here. I have my uniform jacket on anyway." He handed it to Sora and she gratefully took it.

"How come I never see you in school?" Sora asked. She grabbed her duffle bag and the guy took her backpack. "I guess we have different classes." He replied. "Well duh but I mean I should at least see you at lunch or something." Sora laughed.

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm usually eating outside. Maybe our lunch breaks are at different times. Maybe our groups of friends are too different from each other."

As the two left the tennis courts Sora noticed that a lot of people who were still lingering around the school were watching them. Sora stirred nervously under the many stares.

"Something bothering you?" The blonde walking beside her asked with amusement in his voice. He grinned warmly at her and tilted closer to whisper in her ear. "I get the feeling you don't like being watched."

Sora saw the eyes of the people get big when they saw the guy tip so close to her and several spun to their companions and started talking feverishly. Sora forced the guy away. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" He replied playfully a distinct twinkle in his crystal eyes. He put an arm around her and pulled her nearer. "You're too jittery. You need to learn to relax and let things go as they want like me."

"Like you? I'm never going to be anything like you!" Sora laughed and twisted away from under his arm. "And why not?" He asked. Sora motioned towards the now totally stunned people still on the campus. "Because I don't play with people's minds!"


	4. Revelation

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Hopefully this will be the end. I hate drawing stories out, but somehow I always manage to do just that. It's driving me crazy!!!

I don't own that wonderful show _Digimon_!

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:: Friday Afternoon ::

Sora placed the teddy bear inside the little bag and tied the top strings together with a cute little ribbon. Then she grabbed a stapler and stapled the top of the bag together. After tying on some more curly ribbon she sat back to look at her accomplishment.

"For me? You're so sweet."

Sora spun around and smiled at the blonde. "Don't think so. This is for one of my dad. I know he probably doesn't want a teddy bear, but it's the best I could do right now."

"I want a teddy bear." The guy said with a puppy dog look.

"Go buy one then." Sora taunted. She winked at the guy and continued to spice up her gift. The guy walked to her side and leaned against the table. He shook his head disappointed.

"Not fair. You're missing my concert for what again?" he asked.

"I have to close up for my mom tonight because she is visiting my dad's mother who is in the hospital." Sora explained for about the hundredth time. She gave the blonde leaning against the table a dirty look. "Get up. You're going to break my mom's work table leaning on it like that."

The guy laughed and stood up straight. "Okay." He handed her a pen to write with and sighed. "So you can't come at all?"

Sora stopped working and stared him in the eye. "How many times do I have to clarify this?"

"A lot. I really want you to come!" He whined. Sora laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't. Maybe next time okay?" The guy didn't appear happy with her decision but nodded anyway.

He glanced at his watch and sighed again. "Alright. I should be going. It's an hour till we start but Ituimi wanted to get a few rehearsals in. I'll see you later."

Sora nodded and began working on another gift for someone else. She half waved and soon was lost in her thoughts as he left. She sang quietly to herself and eventually turned on the radio.

'I really wish I could go to that concert. Everyone has bugged me enough about it already. Kourtney really wanted me to show up…' Sora paused for a moment in her work to consider closing early. 'No. I can't. Mom asked me to do this for her.'

:: Later That Night ::

Sora shuffled through the set of keys that her mom had given her for the shop key. It was supposed to be gold with "Chatnel" written on it. There were at least twenty keys on the ring and it took a while but she finally found it.

"Sora!"

Surprised Sora dropped the keys. She twisted around wide eyed to see who it was. Once she noticed that it was the blonde running towards her she sighed with relief and bent over to get the keys.

"Don't you have a concert of something?" She snapped and once more searched for the gold key. She found it easier this time and locked up the shop right as he made it to her.

"Yeah but we finished early so I begged the guys to put my stuff up for me so I could come walk you home." He said gasping obviously out of breath. Sora laughed and placed the keys in her pocket.

"I can walk home by myself you know. I'm not a child." Sora said defensively not that she really minded having him walk her home. "You always show up unmentioned. You should warn me next time."

He chuckled and placed an arm around her shoulders something she'd gotten used to by now. As Sora walked home with him poking fun at everything and making jokes she realized how much of a great friend she had made out of the guy

Sure her friends were nice (well actually they were anything but) and sure her friends and her had some great times. But the guy was just the one person she could feel relaxed with. He had become her best friend.

They made it to Sora's house within a few minutes and lingered in front of her door for quite a few minutes. The blonde was trying to tell her something serious but she kept laughing about what she'd seen on the way home and fumbled to unlock her door.

"Sora? Please this is important." He begged. Sora's laughter died into a fit of giggles and at last she managed to contain herself. But when he opened his mouth to speak again she once more erupted into laughter.

The guy rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry! It was just so funny! And it didn't help having you make jokes!" Sora managed to say through her laughter. She smiled at the guy but only got a serious frown in return and that only made her laugh even harder.

"Sora? Sora? Are you even listening to me?" The guy asked with despair. 'Fine. If I can't tell her then I'll just have to show her.' The blonde quickly seized her by the shoulders and drew her into a swift kiss.

Sora froze. When he pulled away she could do nothing but stare back at him stunned. She blinked a couple times and still didn't move even when he let go of her. He lowered his head and shrugged.

"Matt… I…" Sora gasped. "Matt!"

She took a step back. Everything came flooding back to her. Matt, TK, Kari, Joe, Mimi, Izzy! She had always remembered Biyomon but had blocked all the others out. All the memories of the Digiworld that she had managed to suppress suddenly resurfaced.

Matt. Her friend. Her best friend. The guy that had pulled her out of her pit of hopelessness. The guy who she had felt so close to so long ago was now standing in front of her and had been around her for several weeks. And had kissed her.

"You remember me!" He smiled happily and tried to hug Sora but she dodged him. She opened her door and hastily moved inside. Before Matt knew what had happened Sora had slammed the door shut and locked it.

How could this happen to her? Why of all people did it have to be Matt?

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Okay, so that wasn't the end and it was really short. But I promise to get it done next time.

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	5. I ell-oh-vee-ee-why-oh-you

I know that I already wrote an ending for this fic (like forever ago) and I posted it, but I hated it so much that every time I looked at this fic in my folders, it drove me crazy! So I re-wrote the ending. I don't suppose anyone remembers what the ending used to be, but in case you do, tell me which one you like better. And if it seems a little familiar to some people, then yes: you are probably right in guessing where I came up with it. Please enjoy! AND REVIEW!!

*****

Sora stared at the phone as it rang on the nightstand. She rolled over on her stomach and crawled towards it. The caller ID read the cell phone number that she knew all too well. She didn't bother to answer it. As her machine started to get it, she reached down to where the cord was in the wall and jerked it out, cutting off the machine in mid sentence. Sighing, she turned over and tried to fall asleep.

The harder she tried to doze off, the harder it was to do. Thoughts plagued her mind so that every time she closed her eyes they played before her. Annoyed she rolled back over and stared at the constellations on her ceiling that she had made with those glow-in-the-dark plastic stars. It seemed like everything in her room reminded her of Matt.

The glass bird on her dresser was a present that Matt had given her. At the time she didn't understand the significance of the bird, but now was full aware. She felt guilty for having shut away her best friend and those times in the digital world, but she'd forgotten everything for a reason. The stars on her ceiling reminded her of when she was walking with Matt across the soccer field at night after a basketball game and they stopped to stare at the real stars. The mud stains on her jeans reminded her of that day at the park. There was a ticket on her wall from going to one of his concerts. She even had his cell phone number pinned on her bulletin board in case she ever needed to call him.

Before long Sora was crying into her pillow. She missed being eleven in the digital world. She missed Biyomon. She missed their adventures and even facing the Dark Masters. She missed having a group of friends and people to talk to. She missed feeling important. She missed Tai, Izzy, Mimi, TK, Kari, and Joe.

She missed Matt.

A faint knock on her door made Sora sit up with a start. She wiped her eyes and turned on the light beside her bed. "Who is it?"

"It's your mother."

"Come in."

Mrs. Takenouchi slowly opened the door and stepped inside the room. "Sora, honey, are you okay? I thought I heard crying."

"I'm fine mom. I wasn't crying. Maybe you heard something from outside?" Sora posed the possibility and her mom took it. Mrs. Takenouchi smiled and nodded before leaving.

"I've got to pull myself together," Sora whispered to herself. She laid back down and tried to go to sleep.

: : At the Takaishi's : :

"You look awful Matt."

TK stared at Matt from across the table and gently took his older brother's hand. Matt sighed and looked at TK with his distressed eyes. They had gone from their usual perky blue to a lifeless gray. Matt was extremely pale and looked sick, but from what he'd told TK, disease was not the problem. Yet, he hadn't told TK much. He appeared to be stressed out and his hair was frazzled from him constantly running his hands through it tensely.

"I shouldn't have kissed her," Matt croaked.

TK raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Sora." The name made Matt flinch and he withdrew his hand from TK only to run it through his hair again.

"Sora? Sora Takenouchi?" TK asked. He hadn't seen her or heard anything about her for years. All the same, he didn't know anyone else named Sora.

"Yeah. Sora Takenouchi." Again Matt flinched.

TK hated to press his brother for answers, but Matt wasn't very good at giving them out freely. "You kissed her and she…?"

"She slammed the door in my face," Matt whispered, quietly enough that TK had to lean in to hear him.

"Did you just show up at her apartment one day and kiss her?" TK asked confused.

"No," Matt groaned. He laid his head on the table. "I've been seeing her for a while now."

TK was surprised to hear this. "Seeing her as in dating her?"

"No. Seeing her as in talking to her and going places with her. We were like best friends, only…" Matt hesitated. "Only she didn't know who I was."

"Huh?" TK asked. If he had been confused before, he was doubly so now.

Matt sighed and relayed his story to TK, right down to the very last details, including how many mud stains he had on his favorite shirt because of her. TK listened in a quiet contemplation and when Matt finished he didn't say anything. After a few uneasy minutes, he sighed and got up from the table.

"You're life is way too confusing, Matt," TK mumbled. "So why didn't you tell any of the rest of us that you found Sora? We've been wondering what happened to her about the digital world, too."

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want her to see any of you in fear that she will only remember me because one of you blabbered my name," Matt replied softly. "And Tai… you know he'd go after her."

"But did he stand a chance? From what I've heard Sora seemed to enjoy being around you and I can't see her being able to put up with someone as silly as Tai. Don't tell me you were worried about Joe or Izzy because they're too serious. And I'm too young," TK said. He and Matt sat a few more minutes in silence before an idea popped into TK's head. "Matt?"

His older brother looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Did you ever think that maybe Sora didn't want to see us?" TK paused to see his brother's reaction. "I mean, while the rest of us were struggling to keep in touch and trying our hardest to stay together, Sora never once asked for an address or phone number or even wrote down anyone's name. Did it ever occur to you that she didn't want to see us again? That maybe you running into her on that day was a horrible mistake?"

TK looked at Matt to see that the older blonde appeared devastated. He didn't realize how badly Matt had fallen for Sora and immediately regretted his words. But he couldn't take them back because they were true. Sora might not want them to bother her, for some reason or other. It wasn't their place to assume that she wanted to be found.

Once more the room was in a dead silence. Matt began to drum his fingers lightly on his leg and sniffled to keep from crying. TK's words had hit him pretty hard. 'What if Sora doesn't want to remember us? What if I'm just another guy to her?' The thoughts made Matt feel worse so he tried to think of something positive. 'No, I can't be just another guy. She was always so happy to see me.'

"She's a tennis player now," Matt murmured at last.

TK smiled a little. "Really? Is she any good?"

"I skipped that campout to go watch her at a tournament," Matt laughed.

TK huffed. "I thought you said you were sick!"

"I lied."

: : At School : :

"Oh Nasumi! I don't know what to do!" Sora whined to her friend.

Nasumi closed his locker and turned to her. "About what?"

"Matt Ishida!" Sora cried and began to bang her head on the locker.

"Matt Ishida? Now how is that familiar… oh! Is he the rock star hottie that's been following you around everywhere?" Nasumi asked and pulled her away from the lockers to keep her from hurting herself. Sora nodded and pulled away from him to bang her head again. Several people in the hallway were giving them odd looks and Nasumi smiled awkwardly. He grabbed Sora's hand and pulled her into one of the empty classrooms. "So? What's the problem?"

"He kissed me," Sora said miserably.

Nasumi eyed her curiously. "That's a bad thing?"

"No. I mean yes! It is a bad thing. He kissed me and I remembered who he was. Matt Ishida." Sora whined and sat down in one of the desks.

"You didn't know who he was before?" Nasumi asked. "Yet you were always with him? And you skipped a tennis tournament just to go see his concert or whatever, but you didn't know who he was. No offense Sora, but don't you find that a little… strange?"

Sora groaned again. "Yes! It's crazy! But I thought that maybe he and I met once at the park or something! Not that we embarked on a journey before, facing enemies that you can only imagine about. Not that he was MATT ISHIDA!!!"

"Is there a problem with him being who he is? I don't understand you, Sora. You're going to have to explain this. You went through a – what did you call it – journey with him? Was it a bad experience?" Nasumi asked, even more confused now than before.

"No, it was a great experience. Most likely the best thing that ever happened to me," Sora replied dreamily. She sighed at Nasumi's confused expression. "The thing is, I was trying to forget about him because, well, it's hard to explain so I'm not going to. Nevertheless I think I've fallen in love with him, and that's bad."

Nasumi shook his head. "I think you've lost it."

"I know I have! That's the problem! I'm going insane! Crazy! Crackers! Loony! Nuts! Whacko! Call it what you will, it all means the same thing! I no longer have a hold on myself!"

Sora made a sound that resembled a whimper and dropped her face into her hands. Nasumi didn't know how to respond to this, he wasn't good with emotions, so he hesitantly put an arm around Sora. She instantly hugged him tightly and burst into tears, making him even more uncomfortable. For the next while Nasumi pat her on the back and told her she'd find a way to figure her problems out.

They were both late for tennis practice because of Sora's sudden flow of emotions. Their coach said she wouldn't hold it against them this time but not to be late again that week. It was a horrible tennis practice for Sora. For the first time in her life she lost a match to Nasumi. And as much as he wanted to gloat about finally beating her, he knew it was only because she had too much on her mind, so he basically won by default. It wasn't fair for him.

Sora was on her way home, duffle bag thrown over one shoulder and backpack over the other, when she crossed paths with someone she hadn't seen in a while. Takeru Takaishi. At first they just stared at each other in silence. Then TK stepped forward and hugged her tightly. If it had been anyone else, other than Kari, she probably would have felt uncomfortable, but TK was TK. She'd all but baby-sat him in the digital world.

"How've you been Sora?" TK asked.

"Recently or since you last saw me?" Sora replied, faking a smile.

"Normally I'd ask since we last saw each other, but recently is a bit more important since I had to put up with my older brother complaining all after noon yesterday," TK said seriously.

Sora flinched. "I'd rather not talk about that."

"I've grown up a lot Sora. I could help you out better than you think." TK pulled her the bus stop bench nearby. "Now explain this to me. I'd like to hear your side of the story."

"Well…" Sora paused. "What's Matt's side?"

TK raised an eyebrow at the question. "He saw you one afternoon and was thrilled, but then depressed that you didn't remember him, then happy because you two spent a lot of time together, then depressed again because when you did remember him you slammed the door in his face. That's the whole story summed up."

"Then let me sum my side up because I've already cried it out to someone today and I don't feel like doing it again," Sora said softly. "I saw him one afternoon and was curious because he looked familiar, then I was happy because he was really sweet and fun to be with, then greatly depressed because he had to go and be Matt Ishida."

"Do you hate us, Sora?" TK asked.

"No, I don't hate anyone. I just… I blocked everyone out for a reason – that I'm not going into – and I was very surprised when the guy that I was falling in love with turned out to be someone from my past. It's really complicated," Sora said with a sigh. "My life is too complicated."

"You love Matt?" TK squeaked.

Sora laughed quietly. "Yeah. I don't know how. He has some terrible habits, like chewing on his nails when he gets nervous. That drove me crazy."

"He pretty much chewed his fingers off yesterday," TK snickered. He regained his composure and stared at Sora sincerely. "You can't block us out anymore, Sora, especially not Matt. He fell hard for you at 'hello' that very first day we all met at camp. We're your friends Sora. We've always been and we always will be. Don't shut us out."

Sora sighed again, then nodded. "I know TK."

The two of them stood up as the bus stopped in front of them. TK gave Sora another hug before starting to get on the bus.

"Hey TK," Sora called. He turned back around. "You were waiting for me here weren't you?"

TK smiled. "Yep."

: : At the Ishida's : :

Sora stood outside of Matt's door quietly. Every time she was about to knock, she decided against it. She was so nervous.

It had been a few days since she conversed with TK and she had taken those days to think about what she wanted to say to Matt. Of course, she still hadn't come up with anything yet. Which was why she didn't understand the point of standing on his doorstep if she had no clue what she was going to say if he happened to open the door. 'Come on Sora! You can do this!' She thought and once more raised her hand to knock.

'I don't know…' She thought again. 'It is really early… Stop being a chicken and knock!'

So she did.

There was a loud thump from inside and then the sound of someone unlocking the lock on the door. Okay, unlocking **several** locks on the door. What seemed like ages – which was truly only a few seconds – the door came flying open. There stood Matt, clad in nothing but boxers and mouth dropped open in a surprised gape.

"Sora!" he yelped, then blushed. "Hold on."

When the door closed again, Sora let out the air she'd been holding in. She could run now, but that wouldn't get her anywhere. Plus, Matt had looked extremely cute disheveled and it was pretty apparent that he just woke up. She blushed as she thought of him in his boxers. That had to be another bad habit of his: coming to the door like a slob.

The door reopened and now Matt had pants and a shirt on, but his hair was still very wild. Sora was still blushing. Matt glanced over his shoulder then stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "I'd invite you in, but I'm afraid you might be attacked by one of the things living in there."

"Things living in there?" Sora asked.

"You don't want to know," Matt replied. "So, uh, what brings you all the way over here."

"I… well, to start… about the other day… I'm really sorry…" Sora didn't know how to start off. So she took a deep breath and just let whatever came to the top of her head first flow out, which might not have been the best idea. "I love you. I know this might come as something of a surprise, since I did give you the cold shoulder the other day and slammed the door in your face and because I didn't even know who you were until then, but I have loved you for a long time now, and with every second I love you more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. Your eyes are like that, you know. Like a storm, they are. And I love you so much more now than I did twenty minutes ago that there could not be a comparison. And I know that you must think me crazy for all this, but I can't think of another way to tell you. So please, PLEASE, tell me you at least think I'm pretty, if you do not love me in return."

"Not love you in return?" Matt gawked. "Frith-rah! If your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches. If you love were––"

"Wait! I don't understand the first one yet," Sora interrupted. "Let me get this straight. Are you saying my love is the size of a grain of sand and yours is this other thing? Images just confuse me so. Is this universe business of yours bigger than my sand? Help me, Matt! I have the feeling we are on the verge of something just terribly important here."

"Sora, I have lived these last few weeks praying that you would glance in my direction with something other than just friendship! I don't know of a day when I saw you that my heart did not go careening against my rib cage." Matt paused to take a breath. "Do you understand what I am saying, or do you want me to go on for a while?"

"Never stop."

"There has not been––"

"If you are teasing me, Matt, I'm just going to kill you."

"How can you even dream I might be teasing?"

"Well, you haven't once said that you love me."

"That's all you need?" Matt exclaimed. "Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? _I love you!_ Should I spell it out? I ell-oh-vee-ee-why-oh-you. Want it backward? You love I."

Sora looked blankly at him. "You are teasing now, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little. I've been wanting to say that to you for so long now," Matt sighed.

"Really?"

"Really really."

Sora suddenly threw her arms around Mat's neck and hugged him close.

"I don't know how I could ever get along with out you."


End file.
